3D ARCHERY
3D Archery is a very a challenging discipline that has archers shooting at three-dimensional animal targets which vary in size and shape. Scoring rings on each 3D target are where the archers focus their shots. The scoring rings closely match the vital organ areas of live animals. Many 3D archers use this sport to “practice” for hunting season.
Whether you shoot indoors or out, expect to test and improve your skills over a demanding course from various distances.
Archers are encouraged to participate in 3D archery competitions across the Province. Like all archery competitions, the goal here is to achieve the highest score possible.
So, whether you are just starting out, or have been shooting 3D for a long time, you can enjoy this wonderful variation of archery.
Archery Manitoba has a Provincial 3D Team. These archers participate in Provincial, National, and International events. Also participating in 3D Archery are Indigenous Athletes for the North American Indigenous Games, which take place every three years.
For more information about 3D Archery in Manitoba, please contact the Vice President 3D Archery by referencing the contact tab along the top menu selection.
Archery Manitoba Modern Bowhunter Test Category
Archery Manitoba’s 3D Committee has introduced a new pilot category. The category will be tested at the affiliated club and provincial 3D events in 2023 and 2024. To access the category proposal and infographic resource, see below:
TARGET ARCHERY
Target Archery is truly a global sport that continues to grow in leaps and bounds. When people think of Archery, an image of the round, colorful target is usually what’s on their mind.
- This is a discipline of Archery that is shot both indoors and out. Archers shoot from distances of 18 to 90 metres. The targets themselves are the traditional single-spot, five-colour, ten-ring targets, but three-spot, three-colour, six-ring targets are also used.
Recreational Target Archery is very popular, but for those interested in becoming a high-performance athlete in the sport of Archery, opportunities abound.
Bow style is often a preference. But depending on where you want to go with your sport, your end goal may dictate your equipment choice. Recurve Bows are used at the Olympic Games, while Compound Bows are used at the World Games. Paralympic Archers may use either at the Paralympic Games.
Archery Manitoba works towards developing skills in emerging archers. Young athletes can take advantage of the coaching offered to those on our Provincial Target Team. With opportunities to participate in Local, Provincial, National and International competitions, the archers’ advancement is paramount to goals of the Provincial Sport Organization.
POLE ARCHERY
The unique sport of Pole Archery, also known as Popinjay, is based on a centuries-old tradition of shooting arrows upwards in outdoor conditions. It is believed to have started in Belgium as far back as the 11th century. In 1926, Pole Archery was established in Winnipeg by a group of Belgian immigrants who brought this sport from their home country. Still flourishing in Manitoba today, Pole Archery has expanded to include archers from any culture and can be enjoyed by the whole family – men, women and children. Our archers range in age from seven all the way into their seventies and eighties and beyond! It really is an archery discipline with no age barrier.
Equipment
Pole Archers use typical bows – compound, recurve and the occasional long bow, but the arrows and their tips are where things get very different. When Pole Archery first began in Manitoba, the arrows were brought over and for many years afterward, imported from Belgium. They were originally made of wood with a tapered shaft – the larger diameter being at the tip of the arrow and were capped with a piece of animal horn, about 2cm across. These days, most archers get their arrows made locally. Each arrow is actually two arrows, one inside the other – one aluminum, one carbon. The double shaft gives the arrow the necessary strength as Pole Archers are shooting at a steel pole. Single-shaft arrows tend to bend and break easily. Pole Archery arrows are capped by a cone-shaped, blunt “horn” made of plastic or rubber, with the leading edge being flat and about 2cm across. The flat end knocks the birds off the Pole.
Targets
Pole archers shoot at “birds” sitting on branches of a Pole, also known as a Fork. The Fork is configured like a tree with a main trunk and five rows of steel “branches” on which feathered Birds are placed. The branches progressively get shorter to the top of the pole. There are 37 “Birds” on the Fork and each row has a specific point value. The Pole is crowned by the single most valuable King or Queen Bird.
Birds are composed of three things: a wooden block, a wire, and colored feathers to signify the point count. As the rows or branches get shorter, the point value of the birds increases. The single King or Queen is the furthest away and most difficult bird for the Pole Archer to hit. These four-point Birds also have a special significance. Pole archery season begins with only the King or Queen Bird on the Pole. The first archer who shoots it off their respective Fork gets crowned King or Queen Archer and entitles the archer to certain benefits for the remainder of the season.
And there are two styles of Forks – Vertical and Horizontal.
The Vertical Fork is 110′ high and is hinged so it can be lowered to the ground. The Birds can then be loaded on the branches. Pole archers at the Vertical Forks shoot straight up and must adjust for the outdoor weather conditions. In addition to watching for falling arrows, archers must also watch for falling Birds.
The Horizontal Fork is 60′ feet away from the archer’s box and is slanted upwards, away from the archer. The front of the Fork is 30 inches off the ground, while the tip of the Fork, is 50 inches above the ground. This enables the archers to see and aim at each Bird on a branch.
Give us a try
Pole Archery is an outdoor sport in Manitoba with clubs in Winnipeg, Richer, and Ste Rose du Lac. Our members enjoy weekly shoots from late April to early September, culminating in a Provincial Pole Archery Tournament in September.
Each of our clubs welcomes new members to come out and give Pole Archery a try. Most of our clubs are co-ed, but we do have one women-only club. We’d be happy to have you join us! It’s a great sport for anyone interested in archery and a wonderful opportunity to try something a little different than you might be used to.
For more information about Pole Archery or to connect with any of our clubs, check out our website at PoleArchery.ca or send an email to manitoba@polearchery.ca.
Above photos are provided courtesy of Dennis Swayze.
